Monday, February 4, 2013

Viva Strada

Viva Bike Design began in 2006 by Lars Anderson, a cycling superstar in Denmark. The Strada is all about a comfortable stylish transportation bike. It's branded as a luxury bike and looks the part with paint-matched fenders, rack and chainguard. The drivetrain is a simple Sturmey Archer 3 speed with a SA drum brake up front. I expect the Schwalbe Delta Cruiser tires to give it a smooth ride. The bike has unique pedals and chain guard, swoopy V and all. Overall the bike is a nice balance between masculine and something that's too delicate.

The front rack separates the Strada from the other models. It looks good but I'm not sure of the capacity due to it's three point mount. I'll contrast it with more typical frame mounted racks (that don't move with the front wheel) or stenco-type racks that mount to the handlebars and the wheel axle. Still, if you had to carry a purse, backpack, box of pastries, or dozen doughnuts this rack would work just fine. There are mounts for a rear rack as well.

If you'd like to hear more about Viva check out the review of the Kilo at Bicycle Times. The Kilo upgrades to 7 speed (Shimano) rear hub with rollerbrake, dynohub and lights. Mikes Bikes has the Kilo classic (sans dynohub and lights) marked down from $1400 to $999 at the moment.

1 comment:

We saw some lovely Viva bikes when we were in Copenhagen in December. I love the chain guard, and some had these really cool bungee skirt guard designs too. I'd love to get one, but I guess I need to wait until I have a place for a fourth bike...